Joseph DelGrippo's Blog

Trade David Wright: New York Mets Need to Make a Move for the Future

Joseph DelGrippo — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:30:00 GMT

There has been much criticism for Omar Minaya this year regarding the lack of a move in getting a hitter for the depleted, injury-ravaged New York Mets lineup. With injuries to Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran, the Mets are left with only David Wright, a 40-year-old Gary Sheffield, and a bunch of “he doesn’t scare me” type of hitters.

I have been critical of Minaya in the past, primarily for his lack of building farm systems as GM of the Mets and, after he was given the GM job for the Montreal Expos, making inexcusable trades by the boatload.

Notice how many proven major leaguers Minaya has traded away, including Jason Bay, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Orlando Cabrera.

This piece has been in the hopper for two weeks, but after a terrible 10-game stretch where they went 2-8, it merits even more consideration. After taking three of four from the (at that time) first-place St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets were only a half game out of first place.

The Phillies had lost 14 of 18 games and were receiving terrible pitching, Raul Ibanez was injured, and Jimmy Rollins was mired in a huge slump.

The Mets were ready to make their move towards first place.

Except a little thing happened on the way to a World Series title.

The Mets remembered they had a minor league lineup surrounding David Wright, their starting pitching (outside of Johan Santana) was terrible, and their bullpen is hit or miss on any given day.

Even their most reliable bullpen arm, Frankie Rodriguez, has been inconsistent lately. Over his last seven appearances, K-Rod has allowed eight hits, five earned runs, and seven walks in 7.1 IP, and has blown two saves

Throw in shoddy defense and awful fundamental baseball, and you realize this is not a good baseball team.

Their recent bad stretch started with being swept at home versus the New York Yankees, where the combined score was 18-3. The minor league lineup was impotent, but the pitching was not good either.

That is the rub: The Mets fans want Omar Minaya to make a move for another bat to improve the lineup, but the Mets will never win if they do not get better starting pitching.

The current Met starters are Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Livan Hernandez, Fernando Nieve, and Tim Redding. That is one great pitcher, one up and down youngster, and three journeymen.

That is not the making of a postseason rotation, and even Santana has looked well...un-Santana-like lately. His last seven starts have returned a 2-5 record, 5.61 ERA, and 1.43 WHIP.

Please do not tell me about his lack of run support. The job of a starting pitcher is to win games—not to have the best WHIP or ERA or FIP, but to win games for your team. Santana has not done that consistently this year. To his credit, he has 16 decisions, but he needs to begin outdueling the other starter.

Now with Santana normalized and everybody else iffy, when are the Mets likely to put a good stretch together that gets them back into the race?

Author Poll

Should the Mets try and trade David Wright to the Boston Red Sox?

Is the return of Oliver Perez going to brighten everybody’s day in Metland? Definitely not.

Perez has always been a head case, and now with the guaranteed three-year, $36 million contract, he is even more so.

When is John Maine going to return? He is not yet throwing, and if he does return, will it be the usual inconsistent Maine who has that terrible inning every game?

Maine is a pitcher who does just enough to keep you thinking he is really good, but when you see the end result, it is almost never good.

Their home park is designed to be a pitcher's park, so the Mets need to design their team to fit their ballpark. Getting better, more consistent starting pitching and getting better defensively will help the Mets more than adding a big bat to a AAA lineup.

The Mets do not have a good starting rotation, and there is no real help on the horizon unless they take drastic steps to improve their team to their ballpark.

The worst thing for the Mets (and Omar) to do is panic and make a move for a bat that will not help them this season.

Eventually Reyes will be back, and likely Beltran too, but probably not Delgado. Even if all three came back next week completely healthy, the Mets rotation is still an inconsistent wreck.

The second-worst thing for the Mets is to go on an improbable little run where they win seven of 10 after the All-Star break, giving the team (and the fans) hope that they could recreate the aura of the 1973 Ya Gotta Believe team.

But that team had great pitching. This 2009 Met team does not.

The same thing happened to the Yankees last year. They went on an eight-game winning streak after the break and thought they could come back and overtake both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

They made the big trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, but the Yankees were without the big bats of Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada and did not have the starting pitching to keep in the race.

The 2009 Mets should not make the same mistake the 2008 Yankees did. The Mets should make a move, but make it for pitching, and not to try to win this season, but to win in the future. Instead of trading for a bat, the Mets should trade a bat, and trade their best bat, because that will get you more value for the future.

Under Minaya’s tenure, the Mets have always played for this season and to win now. Now, it is time to change course and build for the future.

The future is with a potent rotation based upon good young arms that, while pitching half their games in spacious Citi Field, will not be afraid to throw strikes.

The Mets should pursue a trade with the Boston Red Sox that sends third baseman David Wright and Fernando Martinez to the Red Sox in exchange for CF Jacoby Ellsbury, RHP Clay Buchholz, AA 1B Lars Anderson, and any two of Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard, and Michael Bowden.

This trade does three things.

First, it improves the stable of young major league-ready arms for the Mets. Second, it gets the Mets their power hitting first baseman of the future. Third, it kills the Mets' crosstown rival New York Yankees, who see the Red Sox improve an already potent lineup with the addition of the power-hitting Wright.

Just imagine the righty-hitting David Wright in Fenway banging line drives off and hitting towering drives over the Green Monster, and doing it in a big series against the Yankees!

The Met fans will enjoy their take of the loot too, as Buchholz and Masterson/Bowden step right into the rotation, and Ellsbury provides a solid leadoff hitter and great defense.

Ellsbury at the top allows Reyes to move into the middle of the lineup, where his 190-plus hits every year will plate 120 runs, many of them scored by Jacoby.

Anderson is a big power hitter, providing necessary power for the Mets for years to come. He should be ready for the majors next year, and whoever loses the first base battle between Anderson and maybe Ike Davis, the Mets' first-round pick last season, moves to a corner outfield spot or is trade bait for more pitching.

Ellsbury is a proven major leaguer, something the Mets do not yet have in the young but talented Martinez.

F-Mart’s youth and their potent lineup allow the Red Sox to groom him slowly for center. The 20-year-old would get a few months of seasoning in AAA and would be brought back up in September.

The Mets would be wise to explore this option soon, as the Cleveland Indians have scouted the Red Sox's minor league system in anticipation of the Sox making a run at Indians catcher Victor Martinez.

The Red Sox need extra offense, and by getting the powerful Wright to play third, they can move Kevin Youkilis back to his comfortable first base, having cornerstones at first and third through the year 2013, which are club options for each player.

The Mets can fill their third base need with a free agent in the offseason for a one or two-year deal.

The future at third, however, is currently a shortstop in the Mets system. Wilmer Flores is only 18 but currently stands at 6'3" and 175 lbs. This is an Alex Rodriguez and Cal Ripken type of physical stature, and it will be more beneficial for him and the Mets if he switched over to third base.

Flores is very adept with the bat, and although he does not walk too much yet (only a .325 OBP at Low A), he also does not strike out much (only 38 K's in almost 300 PA).

With the big park a major factor and the lack of quality arms in their system, the Mets need to merge the two. That means trading their big bat in David Wright for some proven speed and defense (Ellsbury) and some power arms to build up their stable of pitching talent.

Combining these pitchers with 23-year-old Jonathan Niese, having a good season at Triple A, the Mets can be a force in the National League East for years and help bury the crosstown rival Yankees in the same process.

The Yankees are Phil-ing up the 8th inning

Joseph DelGrippo — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:11:00 GMT

After Brian Bruney blew the hold against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, he has yet out pitch in another game for the Yankees until yesterday. At that moment in the Tuesday night game, I said to myself that Phil Hughes should remain in the game as he cruised through a nine pitch 7th inning. But Girardi stuck to the book and here came his "8th inning guy."

After that game Yankee manager Joe Girardi was asked if Bruney would remain his guy to go to in the 8th inning.

Girardi said, "He's our eighth inning guy right now," Girardi said. "We expect him to pitch better. I know he has not pitched great since he's come back off the DL. He's had some good outings and he's had some tough outings. ... He's had success in that role."

Asked repeatedly about his chances of remaining the "8th inning guy" for the team, Bruney has repeatedly taken the high road, saying he doesn't care who gets the outs.

"There is the 9th inning guy (Mariano Rivera) and everybody else," said Bruney. "As long as we win the game, I don't care who gets the outs."

Good team concept by Brian - something the Yankees need in the face of a media driven "problem." Next time when asked, Bruney would be wise to point to his ring finger on his left hand and say, "See this finger? I want a World Series ring on it next year, and it doesn't matter how it gets there."

Entering the 8th inning Friday afternoon,* the Yankees held a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays. With power hitting lefty Adam Lind due up, Yankee manager Joe Girardi sent for LHP Phil Coke and not Brian Bruney to start the 8th inning. It was a smart move as Coke has been ultra-effective the last month and great against lefties.

* I absolutely love daytime games, and in this wrap around series (four games over the Friday-Monday weekend) with the Blue Jays, the Yankees will host four straight day games. There should be more of these contests, even on weekdays. Nothing better than taking a few breaks at work wathcing a ballgame.

However, when Coke was removed it wasn't Bruney who came in to get the last two outs, but it was Hughes who came running in from the bullpen. Hughes did the job, and after an Alex Rodriguez HR and 1-2-3 ninth for Rivera, the Yankees had another win.

What is the big deal about who pitches what inning? Although I have never been a big Brian Bruney fan, I feel for him because he has to answer the same questions over and over. And he has answered them the same way every time.

I disagree what Girardi said about defining roles. "When guys have defined roles, they know when they're going to pitch," Girardi said. "And they can start preparing mentally a little bit earlier. I think that helps them. The other thing that does is that I think it keeps you from wearing one guy out. A lot of times if you have a guy who's pitching extremely well, all of a sudden, you've used him five out of six days ... And then you start wearing the guy out. And then he starts going backwards."

I never have been a "this is your role" type of baseball guy. Whenever the manager calls your name, you come in a get guys out. Doesn't matter if you are great at "missing bats" or a good "ground ball pitcher." Just get hitters out--whenever you are in the game.
And in regards to wearing a guy out by pitching him too much, a manager is the one who makes the decisions. They should use all their pitchers, not just the ones who are hot. A manager needs to have confidence in all his pitchers - or they don't belong on the team.

It's interesting, but the Yankee minor league teams alternate their relief pitchers on a every other day status (or every three days), but the guys usually go more than one inning at a time. Only the closers will go multiple days in a row.

It appears the players don't care what their roles are. Bruney's comments above reinforced his thoughts, and here is what Coke said about roles: "We've got a great plan," Coke said, "Whoever [Girardi] decides to throw out there has been the right choice, so regardless if I'm facing one guy or two, whatever combination is getting thrown out there is working. When the phone rings, it's like the chow bell," he said. "It's time to get going."

Just get out there and pitch. No matter who it is or what inning they are in. In fact, Saturday afternoon's game saw Bruney enter inthe 7th inning, and while he struggled by allowing two hits and a walk, he escaped unscathed...and the Yankees ended up winning the game.

A few weeks ago I was watching a baseball game and I was flipping back and forth between the game and the MLB Network, which had highlights of the 1972 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland A's.

Every time I flipped to the World Series highlights, Rollie Fingers was on the mound pitching. I thought that Fingers couldn't have pitched that much. However, in checking the records I saw that Fingers pitched in six of the seven games, with a 1-1 record, a hold, two saves and a blown hold. He threw back to back once, and three straight days another part of the series.

What was truly amazing is not how much Fingers pitched, but when he came into the game. He entered Game 1 in the 6th inning (1.2 IP), Game 2 in the 9th (.1 IP), Game 3 in the 8th (1.2 IP), Game 4 in the 9th (1.0 IP), Game 5 in the 5th (3.2 IP) and Game 7 in the 8th (2.0 IP).

It did not matter to the A's manager Dick Williams when he brought in his best reliever. Get the big outs when you need them.

The role he was brought into apparently did not matter to Fingers either as I could not find any evidence of him griping that he was the closer and no evidence of any media member trying to create a story about it. It should be pointed out that Fingers threw all those innings and games while he was only 25 years old! His arm did not fall off and all those appearances did not short-circuit a Hall of Fame career.

Fingers pitched when he was called upon and has that 1972 World Series Ring on his left hand.

Similar to the one Bruney might have on his hand come October.

When Jose Molina Returns, Francisco Cervelli Needs to Stay in The Bronx

Joseph DelGrippo — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:00:00 GMT

New York Yankees backup catcher Jose Molina has been on the disabled list since May 8 with a strained left quadriceps. This is a significant injury for any player, let along a catcher. When he likely returns this upcoming week against Minnesota, Molina will have missed two months.

In addition, starting catcher Jorge Posada was placed on the disabled list a few days earlier on May 5 with a strained left hamstring and he missed 24 days. Legs injuries are severely detrimental to a catcher, both in his time away and quality of play, especially with players at the advanced baseball ages of Posada (37) and Molina (34).

That is why it is important for the Yankees to keep reserve catcher Francisco Cervelli on the major league roster even after Molina returns. Most people will want to send Cervelli down for regular play at the Triple A level, but he can provide the big club an even more vital role by staying on the Bronx.

Before Molina and Posada went down with their injuries, Molina was the starting catcher in four of the prior ten games. In three of those starts, Hideki Matsui was the DH, while Posada was the DH in the fourth Molina start. In the three games Matsui was the DH, Posada pinch hit late in the game.

Both Molina and Posada both played in all four of those games, with no backup in place in case anything happened to the second catcher. Granted, Posada pinched hit late in the game, with the game usually on the line. But, if the game went extra innings and Posada was needed to catch, there is a decent chance an injury could occur.

I base this on Posada’s fragile nature and the overall physical demands of the catching position. A foul tip here, ball in the dirt hitting the wrong spot there, or maybe a play at the plate.

Posada is notoriously shy about blocking the plate, but it still needs to be done and the runner will still try and do his job of dislodging the ball form the catcher, especially that late in the game.

All those instances can wipe involve removing your catcher from the game. And who then will catch? Cody Ransom? He is versatile and physically capable, but right now he is the only Yankee backup infielder. He is needed for that role. Eric Hinske could play infield, but he was never that good defensively at third base in his career.

Most teams carry two catchers, but that is usually workable because the starting catcher play the bulk of the games, with the backup maybe getting a start per week. Based upon usage thus far this season, Molina would be spelling Posada behind the plate 40 percent of the time.

That is too much work for the backup catcher, but the Yankees need that due to a variety of reasons, including Posada’s age, recent injury history and the certain pitchers who like to throw to Molina.

In the 23 games Cervelli has appeared in this season, he has rarely looked overmatched at the plate and even hit his first Major League home run June 24 in Atlanta. That home run broke up a no-hitter in the sixth inning, and propelled the Yankees to begin a seven game winning streak.

He also has several other timely hits (two run single off of Johan Santana on June 14), is a really good defensive catcher with a strong arm and appears to have a great working relationship with the pitchers.

During his abbreviated spring training with the Yankees (abbreviated due to his participation for Italy in the WBC), Cervelli credited Molina with helping him with the major league game.

Most people within baseball would send Cervelli down to Triple A so he can “play every day” and presumably get better. When is playing every day at a lower level allowing a baseball player to “get better?”

Players get better from playing at the highest level, and learning from their mentors.

Just like when Posada was a young player and Joe Girardi took him under his wing for the 1998 and 1999 seasons (two World Series titles by the way), Molina has taken to tutoring Cervelli on the finer points of major league catching.

And Cervelli needs this mental approach more than anything as he just began catching in 2003 when the Yankees signed him as a non-drafted free agent. The Yankees felt his body type and throwing arm were best suited behind the plate.

I know this goes against the current thinking in major league baseball, but I have always been a "go against the grain" type of guy when it comes to baseball. Not much into going by the book.

For example, why do managers always go to their "eighth inning guy" out of the bullpen when the pitcher who currently in the game is pitching well? Why the need for pitch counts and innings limits? Let the kids throw the ball!

Detroit has held 20 year old pitching phenom Rick Porcello under 100 pitches in every one of his starts this season? Why? To save his arm? Spare me the hyperbole about young pitchers and throwing a baseball.

I was at one of his high school state playoff games where he threw over 150 pitches! By the way, check out who sponsors Porcello's baseball-reference page.

Anyway, when Cervelli is kept, who should then go down to Scranton? Nobody.

Veteran pitcher Brett Tomko would need to be designated for assignment (basically released), and go through waivers where he would probably be picked up from another team. Tomko is your 12th pitcher, something I never have liked having on a major league team.

Eleven pitchers (five starter, closer, five relievers) are just fine, especially when you have four of your relievers (Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves) who can pitch multiple innings.

Tomko has only been used five times since June 9 with 8 IP, allowing 8 hits, 8 ER, and 3 HR. Three times were mop up duty and twice was the game was close. Both those times he allowed big innings.

Tomko is expendable, and as I have mentioned before, he really isn't that good of a pitcher. If the Yankees need a mop-up guy, Nick Swisher is always available. He has beter number than Tomko anyway.

Go against the tide Brian Cashman and keep Cervelli around. The Yankees will be better off in the long run

A Yankee-Met Game to Remember...and to Forget!

Joseph DelGrippo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:58:00 GMT

Last night's game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, the so-called Subway Series*, left both sides' fans intense. The Yankees fans were obviously joyous, while the Mets faithful were crushed.

While it is difficult to fathom how a Met fan (or player for that matter) can be crushed by another tough loss when your team has lost division titles in the final week (2007 and 2008) and lost games by missing bases (Church), dropping outfield flies (Beltran), and general base running gaffes (practically the entire team), the loss last night on Luis Castillo's dropped pop up with two outs in the 9th inning has to be the ultimate heatbreaker.

Despite the dropped infield fly ball, there were many reasons for the Mets to feel disheartened. Their original fifth starter this season, Livan Hernandez is now their 3rd starter, someone they are relying on now to win important games, and not just to "give them innings." He is a so- .500 type pitcher, looking good one start and terrible the next.

Also, while David Wright had a good game and appears to be hitting well again, and despite the seven spot on the board, the balance of the lineup is putrid. They only managed seven hits, and if not for the three dozen walks the Yankees pitchers gave them, the Mets don't even score two runs - and the game is a blowout.

While most of the blame will be centered on Castillo, it is patently unfair as baseball is never a game decided on one play, much of the blame has to go to Omar Minaya. How can the Mets, a team from New York in a shiny new ballpark, not have decent backup players to fill in when others get hurt?

Minaya had set his sights in the off season on winning right now, trying to forget about the two September disaster in 2007 and 2008. He worked in the off season to go with a top heavy, power lineup, a good starting five and strong bullpen. What Minaya did not think about was adequate replacements if any of the top players went down with injuries.

Their is nobody to replace Delgado, nobody to replace Reyes and nobody to replace the $36 million bust named Oliver Perez.

Blame Castillo all you want for last night's loss, but this season's potential loss is on Omar Minaya.

(how i dislike that term, how many of them can you have?)

Want to Win Games Like Roy Halladay? Then You Need To Throw Strikes!

Joseph DelGrippo — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:06:00 GMT

In Tuesday night's 7-0 Boston Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees, Josh Beckett dominated the Yankees.

This win further extends the successful streak for the big right-hander. Over his last five starts, Beckett is 4-0 with a 0.76 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. His only non-win was an eight inning gem against the Mets where he allowed five hits, a single free pass and zero earned runs.

Tuesday night’s start vs. the Yankees might have been even better, as Josh commanded the strike zone like a master painter. While many pitchers have control (which is throwing strikes), very few pitchers have command (which is control WITHIN the strike zone).

Although Beckett walked two (both to Mark Teixeira) in his six innings of work (91 pitches), it appeared he pitched around Tex both times to get to Alex Rodriguez. Beckett handled A-Rod both times without a sweat, getting A-Rod on a pop up and a whiff.

“Beckett is a guy who really knows what to do when he gets a lead,” said Yankees DH Johnny Damon. “He probably learned that from watching (Curt) Schilling. When he gets ahead he pounds the strike zone, he doesn't walk guys, he comes after you and makes you do something big to beat him.”

A pitching coach once said that even if you throw strikes to a .400 hitter he will still make out 60 percent of the time, but when you walk someone, the on-base percentage is usually 1.000.

Simplistic, but true. True since the times when Cy Young was throwing pitches.

As a pitcher, you can either give up hits or walk guys, BUT YOU CAN’T DO BOTH.

Current pitchers like Roy Halladay (complete game SHO on June 7), Zach Greinke and Beckett (guys who actually WIN baseball games, and don’t let their bullpens determine the outcome) "pound the strike zone" as Damon said. They control the game, and make the hitter put the ball in play.

The best pitchers throw strikes, get ahead, and get guys out. It doesn't matter if it is via a strikeout or a ball put in play.

This gets the starters deeper into games, and doesn't necessitate them relying on their bullpen (usually a bunch of scrubs) to record victories. These pitchers record most of the decisions in their starts, a key component of an effective starter.

I love (sarcasm) that new stat BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) which indicates a hitter’s batting average on times he makes contact and actually has to run hard out of the box (unless you are a New York Mets player and that running hard task is optional).

The league averages are usually a few ticks above .300. Sabermetric guys always state that if a hitter has a BABIP of under the league average he is usually “unlucky” in that his batted balls are right at a fielder, and they make the play on his batted balls.

BABIP is also a stat for pitchers. If a pitcher has a higher BABIP than league average, they are considered “unlucky” by the Sabermetric guys because the pitcher's defense might lack range and some hit balls might just find holes.

What happens if a pitcher hits the spots within the strike zone (command) where batters do not get good wood on the ball, and hit the ball off the handle or the end of the bat? Pitchers do pitch to contact as they move the ball on the inner or outer thirds of the plate.

Next time you watch Baseball Tonight on ESPN or MLB.com highlights, notice where the pitch location is off every big blast from a hitter. Almost always the pitch is in the middle of the plate. Guys like Halladay and Beckett rarely hit the middle of the plate.

And you do not have to throw hard like those pitchers to pitch effectively and win. In their long careers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux never threw really hard, but rarely threw the ball over the middle of the plate.

Last week, there were four complete game shutouts including Halladay’s gem. Cole Hamels threw one out in Los Angeles, Jeff Niemman of the Rays threw one, and even Carl Pavano tossed one during his new Carl Pavano 2009 tour comeback season.

All told, there have been 16 complete game shutouts this season. In those 16 games (that is 144 total innings) there were only 11 walks issued by those 15 pitchers (Zach Grienke has two CG SHO).

Also, those 16 games totaled 105 strikeouts, an average of 6.56 per start. The average pitches thrown were 108 per game.

While there were games like Justin Verlander’s May 8 gem with 11 K’s and 121 pitches, there was also Joel Pineiro’s May 19th game of three K’s and 93 pitches. Some were dominating performances, while several were virtuoso, pick-you-apart masterpieces.

Hitters likely felt overwhelmed facing Verlander that day, but probably had a very comfortable zero-fer against Pineiro. Whether striking out double-digit batters or allowing the hitters to put the ball in play, “pounding the strike zone,” (or just “throwing strikes”) allows a pitcher to win more games.

In Beckett’s recent game, he threw only six innings, and was pulled by manager Terry Francona with a big lead after only 93 pitches (only the second time all season Beckett has thrown less than 100). Lucky for him that the big lead, combined with a sturdy Red Sox bullpen, allowed Beckett to get win number seven.

It appears that complete game shutouts are the direct result of "pounding the strike zone" and letting your defense do their work, both of which help keep that pitch count low. In today’s game, it’s usually 100 or so and out. Those pitchers who let the bullpen in the majority of their games usually win less games for their team.

Why let the bullpen have a say in the final result of your work when a pitcher can throw more strikes, get deeper in games, and win more often for his team?

Legendary pitching coach Ray Miller (a disciple of Johnny Sain) constantly preached to his hurlers to: 1) Throw strikes. 2) Work quickly. 3) change speeds. It just goes to show that those principles still resonates as much today as they did in the past.

Time For The Yankees to Promote Zach McAllister to Triple A Scranton

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT

just read that Paul Bush, a recent independent league pickup, will get a second start for Triple A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The main reason is not because of Bush’s superior talents (he has none) or long term prospects (at 30 years of age?), but that Scranton doesn’t have a fifth starter.

Scranton doesn’t have a fifth starter due to injuries (Ian Kennedy), promotions (Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves) and trades (Eric Hacker to Pittsburgh).

The current four-man rotation at Scranton includes Kei Igawa, Josh Towers, Casey Fossum, George Kontos and now Paul Bush. That is four pitchers who will never see the light of day in the Bronx.

Only Kontos, a fifth round pick in that great 2006 Yankee draft, has any chance with New York. And even if he continues to perform well at Triple A, because of the Yankee glut of young pitching, he is likely to be packaged in a trade. As a 2006 college draftee, Kontos also needs to be put on the 40-man roster by November or the Yankees risk exposing him to the Rule 5 draft this winter.

Kontos was promoted in early May and has progressed well at the higher level. Another pitcher from that 2006 class needs to be promoted to Scranton now.

That pitcher is Zach McAllister, a 21-year-old strike throwing machine who is currently dominating the Double A Eastern League. In 10 starts for the Trenton Thunder, McAllister is 5-2, 1.61 ERA, a WHIP of 1.10 and a .220 BAA (batting average against). However, in his last 5 starts, while averaging 6.2 IP per, he is 4-1, 0.79 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He has improved over the course of the season as the weather is getting better, usually a time for the hitters to thrive!

However, Mark Newman, Yankees VP of Baseball Operations, is not on board with a quick promotion. “It’s all about development," Newman said. "We’re not going to push him to Triple-A to fill a Triple-A spot before he’s ready." It looks to me like McAllister has developed very nicely at Double A and needs that push. In fact, Newman should look no further than last season for precedence in promoting McAllister quickly.

Last season McAllister made 10 starts in Low A Charleston (6-3, 2.45 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .245 BAA) before being promoted to High A Tampa. After 10 starts he is more dominating this season at the Double A level, yet the Yankee brass thinks he is not ready?

This is a similar situation, in the same exact time frame from last year. There is no reason not to push him, especially with the aging garbage the Yankees have in the Triple A rotation.

I know many teams (ie: the New York Mets) like to stockpile veteran pitchers at Triple A just in case of injuries hit the big club. The Mets even had Fossum for a short while this year before releasing him. I prefer to go in a different direction, and let your top young pitchers perform at that high Triple A level, and promote them instead of a washed up relic.

There is absolutely no need for the 30-year-old Bush, 31-year-old Fossum or the 32-year-old Towers to get starts in Scranton, and don’t even get me started on the 35-year-old Jason Johnson (56-100, 4.99 ERA in career), who the Yankees signed this past winter and has made a handful of Triple A starts.

All those thirtysomething guys flat out stink and they will not be in the Yankees plans, so why have them in Triple A? I know why Igawa is still there, but the others need to be let go. In case of a rash of injuries, those holes can always be filled by other older losers. You think teams are going to jump on Josh Towers if the Yankees release him?

In fact, the Yankees should also promote the 22-year-old Ivan Nova, too, who has a 4-3, 3.12, 1.50 WHIP at Trenton. Like McAllister, Nova has gotten better as the year has progressed, averaging an out under 6 IP per, going 2-1, 1.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP in his last four starts. Nova was a Rule 5 selection of the San Diego Padres off the Yankee roster, but they returned him after Nova posted a sub par Spring Training.

The Yankees have too many good, young arms they can promote another level to get the extra experience versus better hitters. While young hitters should be moved along more slowly, it is always better to promote and advance young pitching quickly. Pitchers can adjust to hitters better than the other way around.

Good young pitching is the biggest marketable commodity in baseball and it is imperative to develop them quickly. The pitcher position is always more susceptible to injury and the more quality pitchers a team has at the higher minor league levels, the better they can withstand the inevitable injuries.

In case of an injury, I would rather have a young studs like McAllister and Nova ready to move up than a Casey Fossum or Josh Towers. The Yankees have too much depth right now with six major league starters (including Phil Hughes) plus converted starter Aceves in the bullpen for the need to have 30+ year old pitchers in Triple A.

It is time to move up McAllister (and probably Nova) now, rather than later. The precedence was already set last season.

New York Mets Problems Keep Mounting...and Where Do They Go For a Shortstop?

Joseph DelGrippo — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:06:00 GMT

With the calf injury the other day to Jose Reyes, Met fans were whining about when Reyes would return to the lineup. It was obvious the Met fans weren't too comfortable with Ramon Martinez at shortstop. I don't blame them as Martinez isn't a good player for the sabermetric or regular baseball community.

But these same whiners who wanted Reyes back quickly from his calf strain were the same ones who complained about his base running skills and lack of hustle. Many Met fans wanted Reyes traded.

Now these same Met fans will get their chance to see what the Mets would be like without Jose Reyes. Calf strains and pulls are severe injuries as a player can not even walk without pain, let alone run and use his legs like Reyes needs. I had one several years ago, and missed three weeks of playing. And even then I wasn't even 100 percent.

Expect Reyes to miss at least three weeks to a month. And forget about first base being the most important void.

Do those same Met fans still want David Wright out of town, too? New York baseball fans are far too impatient to even really be considered real baseball fans.

Where do the Mets go for a shortstop? They have no one down on the farm and Omar can't trade for a full-fledged starting SS because it Reyes is out only temporarily, and a current starter would cost too much.

So the Mets need an experienced backup, someone with ML seasons under his belt who won't cost a bundle,a nd since Carlos Delgado is also out, this new SS might need to hit a little. Actually, a hitting SS would be more desirable than a glove man.

The Angels have a plethora of shortstops in Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis and power hitting Sean Rodriguez (14 HR's, 41 RBI's in AAA this season) in the minors, but two are young and one (Izturis) doesn't hit, and Aybar is the starter and a Mike Scioscia favorite.

Best bet is to trade with the Yankees and pick up reserve SS Angel Berroa, who has several years of ML experience and is rotting away on the Yankees bench. Berroa hit well all spring training and, after losing the utility role job to Ramiro Pena, Berroa continued to hit in Triple A.

Maybe the Mets can expand the trade and pick up a veteran pitcher, too, like Brett Tomko to improve their beleaguered bullpen.

Anyway, Berroa (and maybe Tomko) will not cost the Mets much at all, maybe one (or two) of their position prospects like Carlos Guzman in St. Lucie or Jefry Marte in Savannah.

But no matter what happens, the injuries reveal that GM Minaya does not ready options from within the organization, and that he has put all the eggs in this 2009 season basket. He has done nothing to improve a sagging farm system since he became GM in 2004.

As I have written many times before, Omar Minaya is one of the worst GM's in baseball. Anybody can spend someone else's money, but it is difficult to build a farm system to help a franchise in the long run (and now for the Mets, the short term) and Omar has done neither.

Good luck Met fans on the rest of the 2009 season, which might hinge on the play of Angel Berroa.

Phil Hughes Deserves Kudos For Tonight's Performance

Joseph DelGrippo — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:24:00 GMT

It wasn't a tremendous performance numbers wise for Phil Hughes, but he did pitch better than what the final numbers presented. For sure, his performance wasn't for the sabermetric crowd!

Staked to an early 5-0 lead, Hughes pitched effectively for 5 innings, allowing three runs - with all three runs coming on two homers. While only at 89 pitchers, I thought Hughes should have gone out for the sixth inning, but was pulled for Alfredo Aceves. Although his ERA tonight was 5.40, Hughes pitched ahead in the count most of the night and struck out nine Orioles hitters.

He was popping his fastball and snapping his curve.

Nice comeback for Hughes after the brutal start he had against the Orioles last time.

Yanks are now 3-2 in Hughes' five starts, but once Wang returns, Hughes is likely to go back down to Triple A.

That will be a mistake. Hughes needs to continue pitching in the Bronx as he is going to be a set part of the rotation next season, because both Wang and Andy Pettitte are not going to be with the Yankees next season.

If Wang was going to be part of the Yankees long term plans, they would have already signed him on a four or five year deal. If Damaso Marte can get three years from the Yanks, why can't Wang get the same love?

Yanks are not going to sign him for $10-12 million next year (which is what he will get in arbitration), but will let him go via trade.

Yanks have so many good, young starters and that begins with Hughes. Both he and Aceves will be part of the 2010 Yankee rotation.

I always think about what Peyton Manning said about his first two years as starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Manning said that his first year wasn't so good as he was thrown to the wolves in the NFL as a rookie, but that his second season was great because he was allowed to play his first season and learn on the job. His exact quote was: "there's no way I could have played as well as I did in my second year if I hadn't played that first year."

Hughes needs to get that same chance.

Bruney's back and Veras Needs To Be shipped Out

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:16:00 GMT

I have never been a big fan of Brian Bruney's or Jose Veras' because they don't consistently throw strikes. And relief pitchers need to absolve themselves of free passes as much as possible. I remember when Todd Worrell was Whitey Herzog's closer in the 1980's for the St. Louis Cardinals. Worrell always said Whitey told him on the mound after he gave him the ball, "I don't care if you give up ten hits in a row. Just don't %@*&$% walk anybody!"

But Bruney has demonstrated a newer love of the strike zone this season, and he has excelled, but Veras has not found the same love. In fact, Veras never has loved the strike zone as his career BB/9 ratio of 5.1 suggests. Veras really has never been that good in the minors either.

Except for parts of last season, Veras has never been very good and needs to be DFA'd with Bruney's return. The Yankees are afraid of losing him because Veras is out of options and must clear waivers--but he won't clear them and the Yanks will lose him to another team.

So what?

Those fans who scream that Veras has GREAT STUFF, should remember that every major league pitcher has great stuff -- that is why they are major leaguers!

Get rid of Veras - the Yankees don't need him and have better (and younger) options at Triple A.

The Yankees should allow Mark Melancon to get innings in the majors. Besides the one game against the Red Sox where he walked the bases loaded, he was pretty good for his first time in the majors.

Just like Phil Hughes who has dominated the Triple A level, Melancon needs to get his feet wet in the majors.

With the Yankees starters going a consistent 6.2 innings per game over their last eight, there is no need for extra relievers like Veras, but if the Yankee brass feels they do need 12 pitchers, then Melancon should get his shot over Veras.

The Yanks have done well with young position players like Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli. They should allow more young pitchers to get their chance.

Manuel Didn't Miss Third Base...But Failed in His Role

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:13:00 GMT

When Ryan Church missed third base last night, Jerry Manuel missed an opportunity to defend his player. Standing behind your player for an on field call is the first prerequisite for a manager. It is a job every manager needs to accomplish, no matter how far in the doghouse little Fido has gotten himself.

And it appears that Manuel did not argue the call because it did involve Church. Bet the farm that if it was Jose Reyes called out on that play, Manuel bolts out of the dugout like he was rounding third.

Manuel's declaration that he didn't argue the call because his third base coach, Razor Shines also said Church missed the base was just plain stupid. Did Shines text Manuel from the third base coaching box or did he motion to Jerry after it happened? Since Manuel was in the first base dugout, he clearly didn't see and probably wasn't following Church around the bases anyway.

Since Manuel did not see the play, he should have gone out to find out form the umpire what happened. That is his job.

And when Manuel looked away from Church while Ryan was entering the dugout shows the disgust he has with that player.
In the post game press conference, Manuel repeatedly pulled out his Bill Parcells impersonation and continually referred to Church as "the player" and when asked about the running mishap, said "go ask him."

Manuel has had the hold of the clubhouse since he arrived, and was tested in his first day at the helm. He used his strength in communication to soothe a frustrated Jose Reyes when Manuel pulled Reyes last season during the first inning of his first game.

But it seems now that Manuel is losing his hold on the clubhouse, and before long the bickering will start and the media will jump all over it, just like they have on the "Manuel doesn't like Ryan Church" situation.

Best way to end the problem right now? Omar Minaya needs to cut Ryan Church. Nip it in the bud. No trade seeking, no allowing the player and the manager to work it out. Gone, done - see ya. Show the other players, and everyone else who is involved with the Mets that the organization will not allow this kind of rift.

Church provides nothing to this team and will not be part of the Mets future. He is a 30 year old mediocre player who was obtained (along with the equally mediocre Brian Schneider) for the similarly terrible Lastings Milledge. He provides no power, no defense and no other tangibles (brains) which help a team win.

A trade which was bad for both teams and where everyone loses! How perfect is that. Church is signed for this year only for $2.8 million. His production can be equaled by Fernando Martinez, a big part of the Mets future.

When stock traders lose early on a stock, they react quickly and cut their losses. Those traders who hold on to those losing stocks usually lose more.

Omar needs to back his manager and get rid of Church now. And bring up F-Mart and let him play.

Johnny Damon has Been Great This Season - but Yanks shouldn't Re-Sign him for 2010

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:36:00 GMT

For a few weeks there Johnny Damon was the entire Yankee offense. At various times this season A-Rod was not yet back from hip surgery, Mark Teixeira was struggling, Xavier Nady was out and even Robinson Cano, who started so brilliantly with the bat, had begun to struggle.

But there was Damon, he of the walk off homers and other game winning homers. Damon sported a decent April with .295/.385/.500/.885 OPS with 4 homers and 10 ribbies. But in May, he has really hit well, hitting .353/.397/.750/1.147 OPS with 6 home runs and 17 RBI's, the most important stat on offense, including the two game winners.

Damon's 4 year/$52 million contract he signed before the 2005 season expires at the end of this year, and Damon seemingly has the ability to be an offensive force at the age of 36.

Despite his great start, the Yankees should not sign the lefty hitting outfielder for next season.

Many Yankee fans will disagree, and maybe even Yankees GM Brian Cashman will disagree, too. Both the fans and Cashman will think that the Yankees need Damon's offense and he could be a viable player for several more years.

Maybe he will, but the Yankees don't need him.

Even though Damon says he wants to stay in New York and play for the Yankees, he also has the desire to go for 3,000 career hits. That means he needs to play four more season after 2009 and based upon a good 2009 season, Damon would want at least a three year deal in the off season.

That is too much for the Yankees, who need to get younger as a team, not older.

The Yankees will likely be relieved of Hideki Matsui's contract (unless, of course, he has a big season, too and then the fans will want him back next year) and Xavier Nady, who has been nothing short of a disaster in the field and only so- with the bat.

Have I mentioned before how I hated that Damaso Marte/Xavier Nady trade with the Pirates?

They can therefore certainly afford Damon, but with youngsters Austin Jackson coming ready soon, and Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner showing their style of play is good for the team, why bring back an aging player?

Where will the Yankees play him next year? Jackson will be ready, Swisher is still in the mix and Gardner and Cabrera also play great roles on this team and show they belong.

Damon won't play in left field as his defense is brutal and his arm is terrible. Damon looks timid out in the field, and just can not go back on this ball any more. Jackson, Cabrera, or more likely a free agent signing (or trade) will patrol left field in 2010.

Damon also can't DH, because where will Posada play most of his games next year? Posada is slowing down behind the plate and will need to DH and catch some in 2009, 2010 and 2011, as he is signed through those years.

Yanks are all tied up with long term deals with Teixeira and A-Rod and don't need another aging, one dimensional player in Damon for the next several years. If Johnny wants a couple of one year deals, that will probably be OK.

Interestingly, Damon's best bet for 3,000 hits might be as a Yankee hitting in front of Tex and A-Rod on a series of one year deals. Keeps him hungry and motivated.

The Most Important Offensive Stat? - It is the RBI

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:32:00 GMT

There are many baseball fans known as sabermetricians who espouse the notion that on base percentage (OBP) is the most important stat in baseball. They say that players need to get on base in order for the team to score runs and that OBP is much more a true barometer of offensive worth than the traditional batting average. That is true, but runs will not score unless players get hits and drive in those base runners.

They love the OBP stat so much that many influential writers (usually disciples of stat guru Bill James) have said that certain deserving players, such as Andre Dawson, are not Hall of Famers because their career OBP is less than the average player of his day. They also don't care that it was Dawson's job to drive in those runners who have gotten on base.

Don't get me wrong. OBP is important, but it is not the end all. Getting on base was always a basic, formal part of the game, similar to fielding the ball cleanly and making a good throw to record an out. A few decades ago, lineups weren't that strong top to bottom and easy outs were in abundance lower in the order. Top of the order guys in the lineup had the job of getting on base, and those guys in the middle of the lineup whose job it was to drive in runs.

In the real early days of baseball, the game was the same as it is today but was PLAYED DIFFERENTLY.

Now, it appears to be that every guy in the lineup is supposed to "work the count and build up the starters pitch count" so the opposition has to go to the bullpen, whose pitchers are not the same quality as the starting pitchers. Guys who have high walk rates such as Adam Dunn and Jason Giambi are revered because they get on base and offer power potential. But their flaws of striking out too much and not offering quality defense far outweigh their ability to get on base.

Besides, what good is getting on base if their are no run producers to drive home those runs? That is the rub say the saber guys. "My guy got on base but needs someone else to drive him in."

That is the team aspect in this individual stat oriented game.

It is so important to have guys who can drive in those runs, especially the all important runners when two are out in the inning.

Before the local Mets and Yankees began recent winning baseball, they both were slumping badly. All I heard from both sets of fans was that each team was failing miserably with runners in scoring position. In fact, up until this recent 6 game winning streak (they just swept the Minnesota Twins), the Yankees were fourth in OBP in the American League, but still only in third place in the AL East.

Why? At the time, they were near the bottom in hitting with runners in scoring position. We didn't hear anything about OBP, but averages of the slumping players with runners in scoring position. That is the importance of batting average, especially when it comes to knocking in runs. The RBI.

O feel that too many players today are more conscious of having a high OBP because of monetarily selfish reasons come contract time, that they are more concerned with getting that walk rather than getting that hit. It is funny, but with runners on second and third, most teams have more non-intentional walks drawn than base hits. That type of offensive approach is not going to help and team score more runs.

Before Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankee lineup, Mark Teixeira was struggling at the plate. Hovering below the Mendoza line*, Teixeira was roundly booed by the impatient Yankee faithful because he didn't hit and drive in runs. We were told by everybody from Joe Girardi on down that Tex would "right the ship" and that he was still "taking his walks" and not going after bad pitches. But nobody else was driving in runs behind Tex, so the Yankees weren't scoring enough to win games.

*The Mendoza line is named after Mario Mendoza, a light hitting short stop in the 1970's, who was always at the bottom of the Sunday newspaper batting averages, and usually no other hitters were listed below him, as they were below the Mendoza line.

No one really cared that Tex was taking his walks because his job is to drive in runs, especially when there was no A-Rod behind him.

Get on base is the new mantra, but it is far more important to drive the runners in.

Young players Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli Contributing

Joseph DelGrippo — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:32:00 GMT

"A real nice baseball play all around."

That was the quote from the MLB Network talking head about the Brett Gardner to Francisco Cervelli 8-2 putout in Thursday night's (5/14/09) game. To recap: Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas on second base, one out, Jays leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning. Base hit up the middle and Gardner hustles in and makes a strong, one-hop throw to Cervelli who made the tag on a sliding Barajas.

Several thing helped make this play work for the Yankees. First, Gardner's throw was thrown OVER the mound. One reason why a throw from center field to home plate is the toughest is because the mound oftentimes gets int he way of a throw. How many times do you see a throw from center hit or skip off the mound, either slowing up the ball or sending it in a different direction?

Second, Cervelli was steady with nerves of steel when the charging Barajas was barreling down the third base line, about to meet the ball AND CERVELLI at home plate. Frank held his ground, swiping the tag to get the sliding Barajas.

What Cervelli showed was much better than Jorge Posada would have shown. Originally a second baseman, Posada was converted to catcher in the minors and was involved in a terrible collision at home plate. He has shied away from most collisions since, often being very timid on plays at the plate.

Cervelli showed none of the Posada timidness.

The Yankees had envisioned the 23 year old Cervelli as a defensive star catcher in the making. While covering the AA Eastern League playoffs last season in Trenton, I had the opportunity to talk with Cervelli on many occasions.

I came away impressed, and not just because his girlfriend at the time was absolutely amazing. He has a keen awareness of his position, and all the Trenton pitchers I spoke with (Eric Hacker, Jason Jones, George Kontos, Christian Garcia and Jeffrey Marquez) liked throwing to him.

While the Yankees were high on him, they were disappointed that Cervelli chose to go play for Italy in the WBC, taking valuable time away from the Yankee camp. Even though Cervelli was on the 40 man roster, playing in the WBC is one reason why Cervelli was sent to Double A Trenton as camp broke and PJ Pilittere made AAA Scranton.

With Gardner and Cervelli, the Yankees have two young players who have come up though the system and have contributed at a time when injuries to Xavier Nady, Jorge Posada and Jose Molina have decimated the outfield and catching positions.

Readers here and on other sites I write for know my regard for Gardner, Cervelli and other young Yankee players, but also know these players haven't received the time and patience necessary to play at their high levels.

Maybe the recent strong showings by these two players will show the Yankees and their fans that time is needed for them to progress as players.

While other catchers in the system, namely Jesus Montero and Austin Romine, have more potential as hitters, Cervelli's knowledge and big arm will keep him in the Yankees plans for quite some time.

CC Sabathia Rounding Into Form

Joseph DelGrippo — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:40:00 GMT

Last night's performance by CC Sabathia is what the New York Yankees envisioned when they signed him in the off season to that 7 year $161 million deal. Overall, Sabathia has underperformed this year, coming into last night's game at 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA. The Yankees were only 3-4 in Sabathia's 7 starts.

But CC has begun to look like the pitcher who pitched the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs last season. After traded by the Cleveland Indians in mid-July, Sabathia went 11-2, 1.65 ERA with 7 complete games in 17 starts.

Sabathia has now had back to back victories for the first time this season, and has begun to improve his control and command. Many baseball people think control and command are the same thing, but that is not the case. Control is the ability to throw the ball over the plate for strikes, while command is CONTROL WITHIN THE STRIKE ZONE, when the pitcher can hit corners, throw up and in and locate low and away. Command is part of the mental aspect of pitching, keeping good composure while things are not going so well.

Sabathia now has his control and his command back. His first four starts this season recorded 5, 0, 5 and 4 walks respectively. Pitcher's can give up hits and they can allow walks, but they can't allow both in the same game. Although Sabathia walked four last night, one was intentional and the only walk which hurt was the lead off walk to Scott Rolen in the fifth, who came around to score on Rod Barajas' double. Sabathia was consistently hitting his spots and getting big outs when he needed them.

The key is that Sabathia has been on a reduced walk trend for the last four starts, translating to much improved pitching performances. In his prior three starts before last night, Sabathia allowed a combined two walks in 23.3 innings.

He also has been allowed to "be Sabathia," which is working out of his own jams and getting the opportunity to pitch deep into games, whether his "pitch count" warrants removal from the game. Give credit to Joe Girardi for letting Sabathia pitch 8 or more innings (including one complete game) in his last four starts.

Once again, who would you rather have pitching in the 7th or 8th innings during a big spot, CC Sabathia or an inconsistent middle reliever?

Give a veteran pitcher like Sabathia the opportunity to succeed and he will usually reward.

Sabathia appears to be back, and the Yankees are happy as they couldn't have held their breath any longer.

Florida Marlins Have Built a Solid Foundation

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:21:00 GMT

After a great 11-1 start and subsequent seven game losing streak, the Florida Marlins are 17-15 and in second place in the National League East. They are a half game behind the first place New York Mets.

The Marlins lineup is a good mix of veterans (Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross), players just coming into their primes (Hanley Ramirez, Alfredo Amezaga, Jeremy Hermida) and young players getting their first full time chance in the big leagues (Cameron Maybin, Emilio Bonifacio).

While the lineup is good, the starting rotation is what makes this team. One thing I like teams to do is to push their young starting pitchers. If a young starter has success in Double A, and then he should be a quick candidate for AAA and then the majors. Push these guys, give them time and they will respond.

Despite not being the opening day starter, Josh Johnson has emerged as the ace, now 3-0, 2.34 ERA, even beating Johan Santana in a head to head duel on April 12. He has become a New York Met killer, now 5-0, 1.97 ERA with a WHIP of 1.051 against the New York rivals.

The 25 year old Johnson forms a formidable young top of the rotation duo with 22 year old Chris Volstad, 2-2 with a miniscule 2.98 ERA. Other starters Anibel Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco, off to tough starts right now complete the top four in the rotation. Fifth starter Andrew Miller is expected back soon from a pulled muscle. Sanchez is out two months with an injury and the Marlins promoted Cristhian Martinez from AA Jacksonville to take his spot in the rotation.

The key with the Marlins is that every player mentioned, Dan Uggla is the oldest player at 29! Their 2009 MVP candidate, Jorge Cantu (.294 BA/.368 OBP/.608 SLG/.968 OPS, 8 HR's, 32 RBI's) is only 27. Also, every member of the starting rotation is 26 and under.

The Marlins have performed exceptionally well in drafting and developing players as well as making great trades in dealing overpaid veterans for top, young talent.

For a small market team like the Marlins, those two factors are needed in order to compete with other NL East teams New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

Starters Hanley Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez came from Boston, Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and Burke Badenhop (2-1, 3.86 this season) from Detroit, Bonifacio from the Washington Nationals, while the Marlins have hit a few draft bullseyes in recent years with Johnson and Volstad.

The Marlins rid themselves in the off season of potential higher contracts by dealing 1B Mike Jacobs, OF Josh Willingham, RHP Kevin Gregg and LHP Scott Olson. The Marlins wanted to allow younger, more talented players to get their opportunity. Trade Olsen and Willingham to the Washington Nationals and get Miller in the rotation and let the 22 year old Maybin get his chance in CF; trade your closer Gregg and give the job to 29 year old Matt Lindstrom, obtained in a trade from the Mets. UPDATE: Maybin was returned to the Marlins Triple A affiliate after struggling to a .202/.280/.310/.590 OPS.

The Jacobs trade was to allow 1B prospect Gaby Sanchez to get the job, but while he struggled a little in spring training, the Marlins moved Cantu from third base to first and let Bonifacio (obtained for Olsen and Willingham) take over third base.

With the struggles of Maybin and Sanchez, it is much more difficult for hitters to adjust to major league pitching than for young pitchers to adjust to major league hitters. That is why I would always push young pitchers, but take a more reserved approach with young hitters like Maybin.

The talent turnover and salary dumps are reasons why the Marlins have been looked down upon by many in MLB and the media. While located up the New York area I see and hear much disdain for the "low budget" Marlins, but last I looked the Marlins have two World Series titles in the last dozen years, equal to the Boston Red Sox and only one less than the $200 million payroll Yankees.

People must realize that the talent level is so equal now among most of the teams that a dynasty run like the Yankees had from 1996-2000 will not happen again. Even a big budget team cannot win the World Series every season, especially with three rounds of playoffs in the post season. Smaller market teams must now prepare to be competitive each year and "go for it" during certain seasons. Only Hanley Ramirez has a long term contract with most others on one year deals.

That will likely change as the Marlins begin to lock up their top starting pitchers for several years and begin the core of a team ready to make a move.

The Marlins have begun their run where they have begun to be competitive. The Marlins continue to produce talent and turnover process will likely continue next year when Uggla and Hermidia will command more money. Uggla could be traded near this season's deadline and Hermidia might be dealt in the off season.

They have the reinforcements.

Preparing to take over for Uggla is 24 year old Chris Coghlan, a lefty hitting high average machine with a great eye at the plate. Only at one level has Coghlan struck out more than he walked and that was during his two months in the Florida State League (FSL) late in 2007.

I really don't know why teams keep putting their top hitting prospects in the FSL, as the pitching rich league combined with the humid Florida air, is not conducive to hitting at all, especially the long ball. Many a prospect have received the FSL treatment and never been the same. If a player hits well in the FSL, they are bound to be a major league star!

Removing his FSL stats and Coghlan has hit .309 in his minor league career. So far this season in AAA New Orleans, Coghlan is at .344/.414/.552/.970 OPS and his career OBP (excluding the FSL) is over .400.

His power number are not quite there yet (a high of 10 HR's in Low A), but the long balls will come as he becomes more physically mature and gets some more loft on the ball. UPDATE: While Maybin was sent down to Triple A, the Marlins promoted Coughlan to the majors. He is 2 for 7 (and a walk) in two games and has showed his versatility by playing both second base and left field.

Right now I wouldn't change him at all, because power is on the way with Michael Stanton, a 6'5", 230 lb. 19 year old who is hitting extremely well in the FSL. Did I mention that if a player hits well in the FSL, he will likely be a star? Well, Stanton has Dave Winfield written all over him.

Stanton was a three sport star athlete in high school and had a full ride to USC as a tight end, OLB or wherever else he wanted to play. He probably could have kicked field goals there, too! But, the Marlins grabbed this first round talent in the second round in 2007, and Stanton hasn't looked back.

He smashed 39 homers to go along with 26 doubles and 97 RBI's last season in Low A Greensboro, and was minor league player of the year. Thus far this season he has 7 homers, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 23 RBI's in High A Jupiter with a .281/.364/.553/.917 OPS. Although his strikeout rate is extremely high (1 of every 3 at bats), he should be pushed sometime mid season to Double AA Jacksonville - where his power production should improve.

In Jacksonville, Stanton will form a nice 3-4 duo in the lineup with 1B prospect Logan Morrison. Currently out until mid-June with a broken thumb, Morrison has hit every where he has played professionally full time. Last season in High A he hit .332/.402/.494/.896 OPS.

Morrison played in the Arizona Fall League last season, and while playing some outfield, hit .404/.444/.667/1.111 OPS with 5 homers and 29 RBI's. Simply a terrific season. When Morrison returns from the injury, look for him to continue hitting and be promoted to Triple A by the end of the season.

Triple A New Orleans is currently the home of the aforementioned Gaby Sanchez. A local product out of the University of Miami, Sanchez is hitting .345/.414/.517/.931 OPS with 4 homers, 16 RBI's in Triple A after putting up equally similar numbers in Double A in 2008. Like Coughlan, Sanchez is a high OBP, low strikeout guy who will fit well into the majors.

He will eventually supplant Cantu at first base, with Cantu moving to third, who will temporarily hold the spot for power hitting prospect Matt Dominguez. Picked in the first round (12th overall) of the 2007 draft, Dominguez had a good season in Low A last season, hitting.296/.354/.499/.853 OPS as an 18 year old. He has struggled in the FSL this season, but many prospects do. I am sure if the Marlins High A team was in the Carolina League, his numbers would be equal to last season's. Dominguez is also very solid defensively.

Last season's top pick, Catcher Kyle Skipworth is another top prospect with tremendous potential, but it is still too early for comments on an 19 year old catcher in his first full pro season.

Besides the young starting pitching in the majors, the Marlins have a few minor league arms which are ready to contribute. Already this season LHP Graham Taylor has been promoted to the majors from Double A Jacksonville where he was 2-1, 3.24 ERA. He won 13 games last season combined in High A and Double A. The Marlins sure like to push their pitchers - and I like that a lot. In his two starts in Florida, he suffered control issues, which is interesting because he is such a control pitcher, with a 1.4 BB/9 rate in 420 minor league innings. Likely nervousness and the home plate umpire giving the rookie "the business" of a tiny strike zone.

While other young arms with supposed high ceilings include LHP Sean West, a former 2005 first round pick; Ryan Tucker, another 2005 first rounder and Brett Sinkbeil, the 2006 first rounder; I like to focus on the hidden gems. West, Tucker and Sinkbeil are bigger names, but have bigger issues, too, namely control and command (which is control WITHIN the strike zone).

Guys to look out for include Johnny Dorn, a 2008 15th round pick out of Nebraska, who as a freshman teamed with Joba Chamberlain to form a great 1-2 top of the rotation. Dorn actually had better numbers than Joba that season, the year Nebraska made the College World Series. He is currently 4-1, 2.36 ERA at Low A Greensboro. In the pros, Dorn's strikeout rates are higher and his walk rates are lower than they were in college, telling me he pitched away from the metal bats and now attacks hitters using wood bats. He has a really good upside.

Also, keep an eye out for Jarrett Santos at Double A. Although a bit older at 27 years of age, Santos has yet to allow an earned run this season in 21 innings, only giving up five hits and three walks. He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Month for April. In his six year minor league career, Santos has a career 3.08 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 435 innings. UPDATE: After winning his third game at Jacksonville on May 5th, Santos was promoted to Triple A New Orleans.

Another good sleeper is Kyle Winters, a 2005 5th round pick currently dominating High A with a 1-0 record, 0.87 ERA in five starts. UPDATE: Winters has just been promoted to AA Jacksonville.

I love the fact that the Marlins are quickly promoting their young pitchers.

The Marlins have a young nucleus in young pitching with some solid young position players, a few ready to break out. Behind them are many high ceiling position prospects ready for promotions. Very few teams have these types of impact position players who could be major league All-Stars. The minor league system is short on arms because the 2005 draft, which included FIVE first round picks (all pitchers), has produced only Volstad.

The Marlins are currently in second place, but with competition from the Mets and Phillies, it will be tough to stay up there. What they have done is built a foundation to support a nice run over the next 10 years to effectively compete in the tough NL East.

When Will Jerry Manuel Ever Learn?

Joseph DelGrippo — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:21:00 GMT

It has been said that the definition of stupid is doing the same wrong thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome.

As cruel as it might sound, I believe the industry of baseball is stuck in this proverb. Continuing to use the same failed pitching mistakes continues to only lead a team into more and more losses.

I believe New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel is a stupid person.

Why else then to explain why he continues to pull the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana, out early in games? Can you honestly believe that was the correct move Monday night against the Atlanta Braves? Does Manuel himself honestly believe pulling Santana IN THE 7TH INNING of a game against one of your rivals was the correct move?

Be serious. When Manuel walked to the mound, one of the ESPN announcers asked if Manuel was going for the hook or going just to talk to Santana, when the other one said, "he's going for the hook. Manuel doesn't want Escobar (Braves SS) with his two hits already to face Santana again." Plus, i was reminded, Santana was already at 108 pitches.

The announcer was correct in his assumption, but both he and Manuel were dead wrong with the move.

Even if it was Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby or Albert Pujols coming up, I WANT MY BEST PITCHER TO FACE THEM in that situation, no matter how many pitches he has thrown.

That dreaded pitch count hook is at it again. And it was the 7th inning, you know...the inning most managers feel their effective starting pitcher must be removed from the game.

Just yesterday on Mother's Day, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when he pulled his starting pitcher, Nick Blackburn, after seven innings and 99 pitches. All Blackburn's had done to that point was allow ZERO runs on five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts.

In layman's terms, Blackburn was on virtual cruise control, mowing down the Seattle Mariners lineup and winning the game 2-0. Then Gardenhire tried to be a manager and make a move for the sake of making a move. With all due respect, Gardenhire is a good manager as his players like him, he gets the most of a "small market" payroll team and has won four AL Central division titles and almost a fifth one last season, losing to the Chicago White Sox in Game 163--essentially a one game playoff.

But Gardenhire is like most managers who feel that they must use their bullpen at the 7th inning/100 pitch count limit. And all that is going to do is cost a team victories. And Gardenhire cost his team many wins last year, when he kept going to relief pitcher Matt Guerrier to put more gas on the fires that were erupting (or so Gardenhire thought were erupting). Guerrier lost nine games in relief, and blew four leads during the 2008 season. And you thought the Mets bullpen was bad last year?

Maybe it was the July 8th game versus the Red Sox, another Nick Blackburn game (only 85 pitches this time) which the bullpen blew, specifically Guerrier, which cost them the division title.

And it is not just Manuel and Gardenhire, but MLB in general. This entire notion that a middling relief pitcher, who isn't good enough to be a starting pitcher and is not good enough to close games, is better than one of your starting pitchers when a game is tight is ridiculous. You can see this trend as middle relievers continue to get more win/loss decisions.

In 2008, Manuel pulled Santana early in four games which the Mets either held the lead or was tied but eventually lost, including two heart breakers to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 4th and July 22nd. Not until I wrote a piece last year did much talk center on letting Santana go longer in games because he is the teams best pitcher, not Pedro Feliciano, not Brian Stokes, not Scott Schoenenweis or Duaner Sanchez (both from last season), and not even the newly anointed Bobby Parnell are better than Johan Santana in that spot.

If you are talking pitch counts, and that Santana needs to be preserved for an August/September stretch run, there won't be a late stretch run if Manuel continues to micro-manage the Johan Santana pitched Mets games. During those two Phillies games last July, Santana had thrown 95 and 105 pitches, respectively. As a reminder, the Mets lost the National League East by three games last season to those same Phillies, but were out of the National League Wild Card by a single game.

Leaving Santana in those four games when he was pulled would have returned three probable wins.

If I am Manuel, I don't care if Santana is at 95, 105, 115 or 135 pitches on a specific night. If Santana is still dealing and getting guys out, he is the man to be in the game. Not the aforementioned middle relievers. And do not pinch hit for him late either when there is no one on base or two outs in an inning. Having Santana on the mound is more important than gambling on getting a late insurance run.

Despite some recent successes, the Mets rotation is far from elite. The Mets need to win every game that Santana pitches, and that means letting your ace pitch very deep into games, if not a complete game every time out. Then you can use the bullpen to try and bail out John Maine, Mike Pelfrey Livan Hernandez and new rotation member, Jonathan Niese - cause you know Manuel, for a variety of reasons, is not going to be allowed those guys to go the distance.

Manuel needs to stop becoming more stupid - because if you have ever heard the comedian Ron White - "You can fix almost anything, but you can't fix stupid."

Stephen Strasburg Should Spend No Time In The Minors

Joseph DelGrippo — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:41:00 GMT

In Division 1 college baseball, the conference games are usually on the weekends. One team travels to the other where they play a three game set beginning Friday night and ending Sunday. The best part of the weekend, especially when there are two top teams playing together is usually Friday night, when each team ace takes the mound.

Air Force traveled to San Diego State this weekend and faced the consensus #1 overall pick in this June's draft Stephen Strasburg last night. The results weren't good for the Falcon's batting averages. Strasburg pitched a no-hitter, striking out 17 while walking only two. Reports had Strasburg hitting 101 MPH on the radar gun and was consistently in the 98-99 MPH range the entire game. He struck out the side in the 9th inning.

Strasburg has dominated the opposition this season with an 11-0 record, 1.24 ERA, allowing 48 hits and only 17 walks while striking out 167 in 87.1 innings. HIs control is impeccable as he allowed only 16 walks last season. I guess if you want to pick a negative, Strasburg is walking a ton more hitters this season than last year.

Despite not being widely regarded coming out of high school because of poor conditioning and a terrible mental makeup for pitching, he enrolled at San Diego State. His coach, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, knows Strasburg's future and "doesn't want him to leave his arm here (at SDSU)." Gwynn has limited Strasburg to one start per week and only 115 pitches per start.

Strasburg WILL be the #1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals, and since his "adviser" is Scott Boras, Strasburg will command a huge price and, despite tough negotiations, will sign just before the deadline of August 15.

Since he will probably be throwing bullpens every couple of days, Strasburg should skip the minor leagues and go straight to the Nationals starting rotation in September. Why would their be a need to have him pitch in the minors? With the huge amount of cash spent on the top pick this year, the Nationals should want to see how their new player fares against the big boys. That's what I would do.

They can do that because of Gwynn's tempering of Strasburg's workload. There is some talk about Strasburg's mechanics being too faulty and that he is ripe for a serious injury down the road.

But the Nationals do not have the luxury of worrying about what if's, they need to get the best draft eligible pitcher maybe ever and see what he can do. Quite a few teams passed on Tim Lincecum in the 2006 due to the same worries, and except for the Rays who picked Evan Longoria, pretty much most of them would like to now redo that draft.

The Nationals will use that couple weeks in between the official signing and September 1 to prep Strasburg for the majors, then in the first week of September, Strasburg will take the mound in the major leagues.

What the Nationals SHOULD NOT DO is to try to redo some of those mechanics, Strasburg's velocity will drop, his control and command will suffer and his ability to get out hitters will decline. Strasburg's current mechanics, however troublesome they may be, are what has made him that special pitcher. Any attempt to baby him will lessen his ability to dominate.

Let him pitch the way he has, for as long as he can and the Nationals should ride their horse the entire race--whenever it may end.

The race should begin September 8 at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jerry Manuel Aces One Test But Fails On Another

Joseph DelGrippo — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:13:00 GMT

During last night's New York Mets win over the rival Philadelphia Phillies, Mets manager Jerry Manuel learned something about his closer, Francisco Rodriguez.

"I found out how resilient Frankie is," Manuel said to WFAN's Mike Francesca on Thursday afternoon. "I came into the clubhouse today figuring I needed to give him a day, but he told he was good to go and wanted the ball."

This is good news for Manuel is that he has finally figured out that a manager needs his best pitcher on the mound during the "crunch time" of a game. Someone as talented and durable as K-Rod wants and needs the ball early and often. That is part of the competitiveness of a major league player and the one job in baseball now which needs their fires consistently stoked is that of a closer.

K-Rod is the perfect example of the emotional closer who needs the ball more, not less.

While Manuel learned that his top relief pitcher is resilient, he hasn't learned that the best starting pitcher in all of baseball, Johan Santana, is also resilient and should be on the mound more during the later innings.

In last night's game, the Mets were leading 1-0 with Santana throwing a gem through 7 innings, allowing only two hits while striking out 10. He was only at 101 pitches when Manuel, knowing that his 8th inning specialist JJ Putz was unavailable, lifted Santana for a pinch hitter.

What is it with that "magical" 100 pitch mark that leads managers to take out effective starting pitchers? The problem with relief pitchers is that you don't know how they are on a particular day. If they are on, they are great, but if they are not on their game, they can turn a sure victory into a quick defeat. But a manager knows how his starting pitcher is throwing and Santana was throwing great. How can you take him out?

Why turn to a middle reliever in an important game against the defending World Series Champs when you have the ace of aces on the mound?

Since his July 22 start last season, Santana has started 20 games, and has a 12-1 record, 1.23 ERA and a WHIP of 0.849. His only loss was this season, a 2-1 defeat to the Florida Marlins where he went 7 innings, struck out 13 and allowed ZERO earned runs.

If Zack Grienke can do that, then MAYBE he can be considered the best pitcher in baseball! C'mon JoePo, you are better than that!

Manuel was lucky last night that Pedro Felicia no stranded the 8th inning double by Shane Victorino. Manuel appears not to have learned from last year when he pulled Santana late in a game last year against the Phillies, and the Mets lost.

The golden rule in pitching is not the 100 pitch count or bust. It is having your best pitchers pitch the most innings, especially when they are dominating. It appears that Santana is one of those long grooves where he is dominating almost every time out. He should be allowed to pitch longer each game. The Mets will have a better chance to win that game and those just before and after when Putz and K-Rod can work their magic.

If Manuel finally passes that second test, the Mets could cruise to the NL East title.

More Joba to the Bullpen Stuff

Joseph DelGrippo — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:52:00 GMT

Joba's start last night was good and bad. Good that he dominated a tough Red Sox lineup for 5.1 innings, and bad because before that first 1/3 of inning was recorded, he had given up 4 runs, five hits, including a three run homer to new Yankee killer Jason Bay.

Chamberlain eventually settle down, and proceeded to pitch great baseball, striking out 12 Red Sox batters in those 5.1 innings after the first out in the first inning was recorded. Amazingly, 8 of those whiffs were looking! Doesn't anyone want to swing the bat anymore?

The night before Phil Hughes wasn't that much better early in his game against the Red Sox. Hughes needs to continue in the rotation, though, because he doesn't have much more to prove in AAA. Although Hughes wasn't sharp in that weather, I give players the benefit of the doubt in terrible weather. Baseball isn't a game which is conducive to wet grounds and pouring rain**. Players are tentative in their motions, the game is not crisply played and people are worried about getting unnecessarily injured.

**I remember one time we were playing in a college level wood bat league a few years ago. It was raining really hard and I was playing second base, when a high popup was hit just behind my position. I remember looking up at the ball and settled underneath it while hundreds of raindrops were pelting me in the face. I caught the ball for the third out, ending the inning, and the umpires called the game. It's not fun playing baseball in the sloppy weather, and too many players get hurt in the slop, like Jorge Posada did the other night.

Again, Hughes needs to be in the rotation. I called into the Evan Roberts - Joe Benigno show on Monday and spoke with them about why I believe Joba will eventually be back in the bullpen this year. I wrote about this last week. Evan didn't agree but when interviewing WFAN Yankee beat reporter Sweeny Murti about an hour later, Evan said that a caller (me) had brought up a good point on how Joba would get back to the bullpen this season.

And later in the day even Mike Francesca was even spewing his Joba to the bullpen in August talk. Like Francesa ever had an original thought that did not include the 1989 Seton Hall Pirates college basketball championship game run.

To repeat:

Although I have been a big proponent of the Joba being a starter (and he will for his career), the Yankees WILL switch him to the bullpen in 2009.

Why? The dreaded innings limitation. Remember, the Yankees are big on the Tom Verducci innings limit from one season to another. Verducci believes that if a young (under 25) starting pitcher increases his innings by 30 or more from one year to another he is ripe for injury or reduced production in that next season. His theory is working regarding Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, but I guess it is not for Chad Billingsley or Tim Lincecum.

Joba will likely get only 150 innings this season and currently he has 28.2 in the books. If he makes 22 more starts at 5.2 innings per (his current average per start), that will get him to 151 innings, the high mark of the supposed limit. And the next 22 starts, assuming no skipped starts, will take 110 days or clear through the end of August.

Can you see the scenario now? Joba will be a starter until mid to late August and the Yankees, assuming they are still in the playoff chase, will convert Joba to the bullpen to finish ou the season. But this will get Joba over the 150 innings limit. The Yankees may even cut off his starts in early August to not let Joba go over 150-160 innings.

This scenario is similar to how the Yankees worked Phil Coke last season. Coke was a Double A starter, reached his innings limit (Why an innings limit? Coke was 25 last season, past the Verducci threshold), and was converted to the pen. I really think Coke was converted because he was originally part of that great Nady trade, was reportedly hurt, and the Yankees got scared and moved him to the pen.

But after 2009’s conversion, Joba will be a starter again for next season with the innings limits pushing 180+.

New York Yankees lead Major League Baseball in Home Attendance - So Why the Big Deal about Empty Seats?

Joseph DelGrippo — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:12:00 GMT

Each night of a Yankee home game, there are many views of the stands, revealing many seats and many sections which are completely empty. Even Yankee beat writers continually write about the empty seats and what a disgrace it is to the Yankees.

Certainly there are empty seats every night, especially in the pricey area where individual seats were going for $2650 per ticket. Even during the recent home series against the rival Boston Rd Sox, hundreds of empty seats were behind home plate and down the lines.

Never has this happened against the hated Red Sox. I have been to many Yankees - Red Sox games and the place was always packed.

Many factors are behind the emptiness of the stadium. First, the exorbitant pricing by the Yankees are far too out of touch for the normal fans. Second, even those corporates who are able to afford those seats, and you can be sure many of those empties have been sold. But those corporate suits don't want to be seen living it up on television during the down economy. That cement wall separating the privileged from the peasants doesn't help either.

There are many people dying to get a picture of video of some corporate fat cat having fun. Imaging if someone from Bank of America (a major Yankee sponsor) is seen having laughing, cheering on his team and having fun in seats which cost $2,650? People would be screaming for those TARP funds to be returned ASAP.

Those same people who would turn in that video of the Bank of America exec to TMZ are also the ones complaining that there are too many empty seats, and that the Yankees are looking foolish for having those empties.

Also, there is so much to see and do at the new Stadium that many people do not even sit in their seats for much of the game, but are wandering around taking in all the grandeur.

Too many empty seats? Who cares? Is it really a problem the fans and media should worry about? Real baseball fans think more about the product on the field rather than the product in the seats.

The game is on the field, not in the stands. Whether you are there in person at the Stadium or watching the game on television, do those empty seats really upset you? Do the empty seats affect you in any way? Why? What do empty seats have to do with the Yankees playing baseball? I can guarantee you those empty seats do not bother the players one bit.

Bu even though there are empty seats galore, the Yankees still lead all of Major League Baseball in home attendance. Entering Wednesday night's game, the Yankees are averaging 44,787 fans per their 11 home dates. And Wednesday night's attendance was 42,585. Only the Dodgers average more than Wednesday's attendance, with Philadelphia and the L.A. Angels the only other two teams averaging more then 40,000 per home game. Even the New York Mets in their spanking new ballpark only average 38,200.

It is not actual people in the seats, but total number of tickets sold which constitute the attendance figures. Yankee management already have the cash.

I heard on the radio today from a certain heavy radio talk show host that the empty seats will affect the Yankees when they play because the team is used to playing in front of packed houses. I don't think there were too many packed houses all those years in Tampa. Was every seats full in Comerica Park in Detroit last week? No, but the Yankees won out there.

Believe it or not, these major league baseball players are so competitive that a real game could be played in an empty stadium WITH NO FANS at all and these players would still give 100% and try to win. The reason why they are major leaguers is because of that competitiveness.

True the Yankees have turned away the average fan to the tune of Corporate America, they missed the market and didn't realize the downturn in the economy would affect attendance in this manner, but it is the Yankees owners problem - not the fans, not the media's and certainly not the players. In fact, less of the great seats being filled benefits the average fan because there is more of a chance average Joe can see a game from that vantage point.

I understand that many higher priced seats are being offered on EBAY and StubHub for way below face value. The market rules and prices are falling.

Imagine that? Capitalism works.